FUTURE WAVE

FASHION & CULTURE

Photography
DAVID COHEN DE LARA

Rave style by the late 1990’s and early 2000’s was heavily influenced by LA’s roots in hip hop culture. Adidas shoes and bell bottoms became a wardrobe staple along with cropped baby doll shirts. Neon colors have made it through the decade and are still pretty popular among ravers. This was also an era where cyber style ruled the dance floor with basic blacks and starkly contrasting UV and bright colors.

In the 2000’s we saw another shift in rave fashion trends with the introduction of kandi culture. Furry accessories became more popular and party goers started integrating go-go inspired elements, such as fluffies, to their outfits. Fashion trends within the EDM community are constantly evolving. Today, kandi culture is still prevalent though it seems to be less appreciated by the newest members of the community. And if you look back on what was trending only two years ago, you would see bright neon colors and a lot of tulle. Tutus are still worn by ravers today however, we’re seeing more and more girls opt for flirty micro-skirts and micro shorts with cut outs. Ravers who are notorious for brightly colored neon clothing are showing a new appreciation for more pastel and earthy colors as well. Halters, pasties, and all kinds of sheer tops are slowly taking over festival fashion as rave bras and the go-go inspired savage wraps, while still popular, take the back seat. Boiler suits have given way to onesies and, for ladies – one pieces and bodysuits. Smiley faces of the early 90’s are still very popular and there’s even a new familiar face trending: aliens. Aliens, mermaids, hologram, and psychedelic prints are favorites in festival fashion and with the emergence of improved technology, all over prints are now flooding the dance floor. Many festival goers today take their outfits quite seriously and even custom order or custom make unique creations for each event. The flow of creativity has even led to the introduction of plunge bras and samba bras into festival wear.

Although many changes have taken place in the culture of the scene and trends have shifted, rave fashion has kept true to the empowerment of self-expression and youthfulness. While ravers today may wear more revealing clothes, the inspiration comes from the same place it always has – a desire to be different, to escape reality, and the need for a creative outlet. Rave fashion is and will always be whatever you want it to be, a reflection of yourself embraced by everyone around you. There will always be trends, but festival fashion doesn’t discriminate if you’re not “trendy” and want to dress in something a little quirky…we admire quirky.

Photography Vins Baratta Styling Maela Leporati Hair Dora Roberti Makeup Thais Bretas Model Alice Vink